Easily Offended

We are living in a time when everyone is getting offended!  Our culture has put us in a choke hold with political correctness.  In my opinion, which really doesn't mean squat, the reason we are  offended is because we are self-absorbed.  It is easy for many of us to say amen to that, but not so fast.... What about us, those of us who call ourselves Christ followers?  Are we easily offended?

Just this morning Jim shared a situation with me and I immediately became passionate about why the situation was wrong.  I gave strong argument to how it needed to be corrected so that it could be set right and the dangers of what would happen if not corrected.  After he left, I thought why did I have such a strong reaction?  I recognized that I strongly reacted because it threatened me and it threatened a place that I have let my identity be found.  I became offended with those that I felt were not as passionate about something as I am.  It's so easy isn't it?  And, to sound righteous while ranting?! (this is something, much to my shame, I'm very good at!) We believe we are following the Lord, doing what He has asked us to do, and everything is great as long as there are others alongside us doing it also.  The minute we feel alone we can either become arrogant and say, "they just don't get it" or question what we are doing, become frustrated,and want to flee.

As a woman who has lived in bondage because of where and what I let define my identity, I believe I/we must constantly be asking ourselves some questions.  Who or What do I believe I can't live without?  Who or What has my attention?  What evokes strong emotion in me? Is that where I'm getting my identity? Why am I so easily offended?  What disturbs my peace?

In Christ Alone, I love to sing it, I believe those words, but how that moves itself into the cracks and crevices of my daily life is still a learning process for me. It's a battle!  One that takes sitting long and often at Jesus' feet. (there are No Substitutes for this!) Before we get so riled up about our culture, political correctness, and everyone being self absorbed, (except us of course!) let us consider how we are easily offended and often put a "righteous" spin on it.

Psalm 119:165 "Great peace have those who love your word, nothing can make them stumble."

Amy Carmichael
"If I have not compassion on my fellow-servant, even as my Lord had pity on me, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If I belittle those whom I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points: if I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting "who made you to differ? and what have you that you have not received?" (1 Corinthians 4:7) then I know nothing of Calvary love."
"If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love."

Painful reminder of my desperate need.....
Laid bare....

Still learning to abide,
Kim

Drinking from the saucer

I had a conversation with a dear friend about the "flow principle" the other day.  I'm convinced we will will be learning this principle as long as we walk this earth.  

I have included a link that contains five minutes of words about abiding and drinking from the saucer. I pray it encourages you this day, wherever you are, and with whatever circumstance you find yourself in.

More drinking from the saucer - YouTube

Still learning to abide!

Much love,

Kim

kimday1964@gmail.com

It Is Well

The words "it is well" have been gently pushed into my heart over the years by the hands of a loving Shepherd.  How does a woman say, it is well, while living with chaos, hurt, loss, sickness, insecurities, and uncertainties?

Instead of writing this post I have linked a teaching that I did recently on 2 Kings 4.

https://vimeo.com/142842640


Still learning to abide and still learning to say, it is well, when things around me are saying something else and when my own body is screaming different words.

Much love,
Kim

Tangled

Our daughter had really long and thick hair when she was growing up. (Still does actually,not down to her waist but still just as thick!) When she was little, some of the most dreaded and dramatic moments in our home was when it came time to brush out that mane after bath time! Oh, the wailing and nashing of teeth....  Then this product came out that would actually de-tangle hair, with just a few squirts of a spray bottle, all of the tears of brush out would go away.  Truly, I thought this was an answer to my prayers and a gift directly from God!!

Wouldn't it be great if we could de-tangle our lives with just a few squirts of something magical from a bottle?  A scripture that has been rolling around in my head from 2 Timothy 2:3-4,
"Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier."  We get caught don't we?  I get caught too.  I get caught with too much of the worlds food and not enough of the sustaining and life giving food of the Spirit.  I get entangled in social media, events, what other's are doing, and the list can go on.  It isn't as easy as a few squirts, it takes discipline to fast or limit those things that have crept in to steal our attention.

If you know me you know I read a lot of Amy Carmichael, missionary to India.  I have posted some of her writings on this subject.  If you find yourself tangled like me, I pray her words will speak to you as they have me in recent days.

"Those of us who are God's emissaries are to treat the world (not just its corruptions, but its legitimate joys, it's privileges and blessings also), as a thing to be touched at a distance.  We must be aware at all times that if we are caught by its spirit, or fed by its meat, we will lose our sensitivity to the very breath of the Highest and will no longer receive the manna that falls from heaven to feed our souls.  It is not that He forbids us this or that indulgence or comfort; not that He is stern, calling us to a life of harsh asceticism, as if that would make Him more pleased with us.  No, it is that we who love our Lord, and we whose affections are set on the things that are heaven for us today-- we voluntarily and gladly lay aside things that charm the world, so that we may be charmed and ravished with the things of heaven.  Then our whole being may be poured forth in constant and unreserved devotion in serving our Lord, who died to save us."

"No, there is no harm in recreation, if by that you mean a pastime that will re-equip you for future work, and will not cause a leakage of spiritual power."

"...quite without our realizing it certain forms of "recreation" have taken hold of us and hinder rather than help."

"We cannot allow ourselves to be entangled, and at the same time believe that we will have spiritual power."

Excerpts from the book entitled, God's Missionary.

Still learning to abide and not be tangled.....
Kim

Help!

Do you need help today?

Are you discouraged?

Is your marriage on shaky ground?

Do you have children that are rebellious?

Are your finances a mess?

Are you lonely?

Do have a big decision to make?

Is your life chaotic?

Are you afraid?

Is life not what you thought it was going to be like in this season?

Are you facing illness?

Is suffering in your life?

Is your heart broken because of loss?

We all face the questions like the ones on the above list.  Many of us can say an affirmative, YES, to one or more of the questions.  The Lord in His faithfulness brought a familiar scripture to my mind this morning as I was crying out for help.  

Psalm 46:1-2

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea..."

Our God who spoke the world into existence, who authored salvation and a way for man to be redeemed, and who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, this same God says He will be my help in the time of my need.  This beautiful scripture is not referring to just any kind of help; no this is God size help.  It could read God, our Refuge and Strength, is abundantly available for help in tight places, or places of trouble, or when the time arises and I find myself in need!  

Often when I find myself in one of those "tight places", it is because I have not looked to Him as my refuge, but tried to provide my own covering.  My own strength and desire to fix it has stepped in, instead of me relying on His strength. And, instead of crying out for His help, I have gone my own way seeking out another form of help or relief.  

Later in chapter 46 of Psalms, we see another very familiar verse.  One that I fear many of us have decorating the walls of our home, but quite possibly don't have hanging in our hearts.

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth"

The key to reaching to Him as my help, to taking refuge in Him alone, and exchanging my strength for His, is to learn to be still and to place Him in His rightful place.  To know He is God is much more than a mental assent to truth, it is to live as one who is under authority.  This truth dislodges the lie that we are in charge, that we can fix it, or that we have the strength to change something.  He will be exalted above all.  The question is; is He exalted above me?  Is He exalted to His rightful place in my life?  

Not sure what you are facing today, but He does.  Would you hold that thing, that question, that hurt, that impossible situation, out to Him with palms open and facing upward?  Will you get still before Him?  Will you cry out to your Refuge, your Strength, and your Help, and place Him where He rightly belongs?  

Oh, Lord dislodge me from the place of authority in my life.  You are God, and there is no one besides You.  Forgive me for thinking that I'm in charge.  Lord, I need Your help and I need You to show Yourself mighty over my heart, life, and the situations that are such a struggle for me.  

I am praying for many that are facing great trials, big decisions, and heartbreaking situations right now. Sometimes we just need to know that someone else knows and is praying.

Still learning to abide,

Kim

Recognizing The Enemy

Our family is walking through some very intense days...  

You too?

Life is hard.....

   Sin abounds....

      People break under pressure...

          Hurting people, hurt people....

People sin, say words that hurt, act hateful, betray, become selfish, reject, demand, and try to be in control. That is the human condition.  It is so easy for us to look at others as our enemies when these things are present.  Yet, we are told that, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood". People may be the occasion but they are not the reason.  For those of us that are followers of Jesus, we will spend all of our lives participating with Him in the removal of the human condition from us, so that He can conform us to His image.  As we participate it is vital to acknowledge our enemy but keep our eyes on Jesus.  Our enemy is not those people who hurt us and or those that send wreckage into our lives.  They are the material that our enemy would like for us to look at, but ultimately they are the material that Sovereign God uses to mature us and make us more like Him.  Sometimes it is really messy and sometimes it is very painful!

A little bird didn't fly south for the winter as all the other birds did.  As the weather got colder, the north winds began to blow, and snow and ice began to fall from the winter sky.  The little bird began to get very cold, so cold in fact that her little wings froze.  As she was sitting in her frozen state, worrying about what she was going to do, a cow came by and pooped on her.  She thought, "oh great, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, this stupid cow poops on me!”  But, much to her surprise she found that the manure was warm, and it began to unfreeze her wings.  She began to flap her wings with excitement, hopping, flapping, and tweeting over her freedom.  Just then a cat came around the tree and ate her.

Moral of the story?  

Not everyone who poops on you is your enemy.

Your real enemy is lurking around seeking whom he can devour. He just uses "cows" to distract you from seeing him and his plan.

If you are a bird, and you are supposed to fly south for the winter, you probably should fly south for the winter, and not go out on your own, rebellious, way.

  

Just some thoughts on this rainy Friday morning as I contemplate, acknowledging my enemy but keeping my eyes on Jesus!

Still learning to abide,

Kim

Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Peter 5:6-9, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Pondering prayer

The last few years I have been trying to address disconnects in my life.  The disconnects are those things that I know what God's word says, yet that truth is not functioning powerfully in my daily life. 

Such is the area of prayer.  

Prayer comes in many packages. There are prayers of gratitude and acknowledgment of our God, we say these to start or end our church services, as we sit down to a meal, at a bedside, or even before a football game. There are prayers that are ongoing communication to our God throughout the day, as we whisper the names of those we love and situations we are facing. What about what Jesus had? Or what Elijah had? Or what David had?  Their prayers were more a way of life, a prayer life, even the term communicates that it has a life of it's own.  

Jesus withdrew often to talk to His Father in prayer.   Elijah, in constant communication with God, prayed prayers of boldness.  David, desperate for God to answer, sang His prayers to God.  Their lives exhibit to us, chunks of time for nothing else but prayer.  As I have been asking God to teach me what this looks like and how to do it, I have looked at men and women that I have admired through the years.  These are men and women that God has used in the church and in the world.  Their walks with God, the testimony of what their lives have stood for, and or their writings, are things that God has used to disciple me.  I found a common thread, it was prayer.   Their prayer time was more than an activity of duty, it was setting aside much time to encounter God, to seek His direction, and to intercede.  The Word of God was the material of what they prayed. I have been inspired, corrected, and convicted by studying prayer lives in scripture and of those that I sense possess something I do not.  

Adoniram Judson would seek to withdraw seven times a day from business and company to lift up his soul to God in private.  Robert Murray McCheyne said; "I must pray before seeing any one. This must be secret prayer.  I can do no good to those who come to seek anything from me apart from it. I feel it is far better to begin with God, to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near to another."  Edward Payson, a pastor in the second great awakening, was called Praying Payson, it is said that he wore groves into the hardwood floors where he would pray because of how often and how long he would kneel before the Lord.  The prayer life of Hudson Taylor, George Mueller, Amy Carmichael, Martin Luther, and David Brainerd, certainly was a key that unlocked something supernatural in their lives and the life that God had for them. 

There was another common thread in the lives listed above, they were desperate.  They knew who God was, they knew who they were, and they were desperate for Him to do what only He could do.  These common threads, ask me questions about my own prayer life that beg for answers. Am I, (are we) desperate for the things only God can do?   How long will I, (will we) keep living the same way but desire a different outcome?  Does the life, the power, the change, come any other way except through a life surrendered, centered with His word, and in constant prayer?

Often we spend more time talking about prayer and studying prayer, than actually praying.  I truly believe if we are going to see God move in our lives, families, churches, nation, and world, God's people are going to have to pray. (2 Chronicles 7:14, James 5:16)   We must set aside time in our own lives and in the lives of our churches to seek His face. We used to call them prayer meetings, where we came together to meet with God and with each other through prayer.  They seem to be no longer "relevant".  Is prayer no longer relevant? We have regulated prayer and given it only a snippet of time in our lives and in our churches, yet keep longing for God to do something.  We are anemic and have lost power as the church because we have forsaken our only Power for a pitiful substitute of what we can do. We have ceased to call our houses of worship, houses of prayer, because that would not be cutting edge enough to draw a crowd. (Matthew 21:12-13) 

Just some thoughts this afternoon as I ponder prayer.....

Still learning to abide,

Kim

kimday1964@gmail.com

Below are some of the scriptures I am learning to live in and some quotes that are written on scraps of paper and scattered around my home.  If you are interested...

Scripture on prayer:

1 Chronicles 16:11, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 4:1, Psalm 145:18, Proverbs 15:29, Isaiah 62:6-7, Matthew 6:5-13, Matthew 7:11, Luke 6:12, Luke 18:1, Romans 8:26, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Timothy 2:1-2,8, James 1:7, James 4:6, James 5:16, 1 John 1:9

Prayers to study in Scripture:

John 17, Exodus 32-34, Psalm 51, Chronicles 20, Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, Acts 7:54-60, 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10

Some quotes to ponder on prayer;

 "God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."  John Wesley

“God shapes the world by prayer.” E.M. Bounds

"Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees." Corrie ten Boom

"The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!'" (J. Hudson Taylor) 

"No learning can make up for the failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts will supply its lack." E.M. Bounds

"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer."  John Bunyon

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”  Charles Spurgeon

“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use— men of prayer, men mighty in prayer"  E.M. Bounds

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work."  Oswald Chambers.